Richard M. Orin, Esq., CPA

Richard M. Orin, known as Dick to his friends and as Pops to his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, passed away peacefully on June 9th, 2023 at his home in Greenwich Village. Born on March 29, 1927, Richard's life was a testament to learning, service, ethics, commitment and love. He was a man in full.

Richard was the youngest of three children to James and Fanny in the Bronx, NY. His father's family immigrated to the US from Ukraine in the late 1800s. Richard shared a deep bond with his elder siblings, Gorman and Doris. Gorman taught his kid brother a lifelong love of baseball, particularly the Yankees and the NY Giants (not those California ones). When Doris pushed doll carriages with her friends, hers was the only one with a real baby.

After high school, Richard attended Cornell University in 1943, initially studying engineering. His studies were interrupted by his insistence at age 17 on enlisting in the U.S. Navy. After World War II, Richard transferred to the University of Missouri, where he graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration in 1949. He married his sweetheart, Gloria Yvette Klein, the following year and moved to Greenwich Village, where they would live the rest of their lives.

As a newlywed, Richard worked full-time as an auditor while attending New York University Law School at night. He earned his JD in 1955 and added a LLM in 1957 in Law and Taxation.

In a curve ball, Richard then was drafted by the U.S. Army to serve in the Korean Conflict. He was draft-eligible because he had served only 362 out of 365 days before WWII ended. With no choice, he spent the first years of his marriage working as an engineer in a rebuilt division in Germany. Due to that experience, and the deep-seated beliefs he had developed about the futility of war, he volunteered from 1955-1975 for the U.S. Selective Service Commission, aka the Draft Board, earning a Meritorious Service Award. He represented young men who were trying to avoid being drafted to serve in Vietnam.

In the 1950s, Richard joined the CPA practice of his beloved father-in-law, Joseph P. Klein & Co. They were joined by Richard’s devoted brother-in-law and Joseph’s son, Irwin S. Klein (“Buddy”). At the time, the dual practice of law and accounting was banned by both the American Bar Association and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Richard and his colleagues took on both institutions and got the ban lifted, taking the case to the U.S. Supreme Court. That enabled Richard and Buddy to open the law firm of Orin & Klein, which thrived until Richard’s retirement at age 85.

In 1964, Richard and those same colleagues founded the American Association of Attorney-CPAs, which thrives to this day. Richard and Gloria were active members for more than 30 years, attending conventions all over the world. Richard was the 9th president and the first recipient of the Louis S. Goldberg Memorial Award. The AAA-CPA became the heart of Richard’s professional practice and the source of Richard and Gloria’s dearest lifelong friends.

In their 57 years of marriage, Richard and Gloria became the proud parents of two children, Dr. Gary (Sheila) Orin and Rhonda (Harry) Eisenstein, and doting grandparents of Melanie, Lana and Fara Arielle Orin; Eric (Colleen) Weissmann; and Ethan and Matthew Eisenstein. Richard also was blessed with three great-grandchildren—Jonah, Galina and Leon—who brought him endless joy.

After Gloria's passing in 2007, Richard found companionship and love again with Ila Levitan. Their 17-year partnership was filled with joy, laughter, travel and a unification of their families. Life began anew for Richard at age 80 with Ila, and the beauty of their relationship inspired us all.

Throughout his 53-year professional career, Richard was dedicated to his clients. His renowned client base included Arthur Frommer, the travel author; the Fantasticks off-Broadway musical (famous for its 41-year run); David Randolph, the Carnegie Hall conductor; Richard Franko Goldman, founder and conductor of the eponymous band at Lincoln Center; and Charles Silver, President of the NYC Board of Education and legendary in NYC politics.

In the 1990s, Richard devoted himself to his two professional passions: education and ethics. In 1997, he established the Orin Ethics Symposium at the University of Missouri, his alma mater. The annual event has brought illustrious speakers to Mizzou for decades, including U.S. Sens. Paul Sarbanes, Michael Oxley, Christopher Dodd, Barney Frank, former Enron CFO Andrew Fastow, Theranos whistleblower Tyler Shultz and former CEO of Fannie Mae Timothy Mayopoulos. In working on the symposium over the years, Richard became close friends with Professor Vairam Arunachalam, Director of the School of Accountancy at the Trulaske College of Business at the University of Missouri, a friendship that enriched Richard’s life.

Richard returned to his own academic development in his retirement. For years, he took undergraduate classes at NYU in philosophy, Greek, and Latin, earning the admiration of professors and students alike. Richard turned down the option merely to audit the classes, without taking on the papers and tests. In a feature about him in the NYU student newspaper, he explained, "If I'm going to take a class, I'm going to be serious."

With his passing, Richard leaves an impeccable legacy of love, service and lifelong learning. By example, he has showed us all the right way to live. As Richard said on his 90th birthday: "I have lived a marvelous life. The secret to such a fascinating life is perseverance, education, and loyalty. Carpe Diem!"

In lieu of flowers, Richard's family kindly requests that donations be made in his memory to the Orin Ethics Symposium at the University of Missouri.

For those choosing to make a gift, gifts can be made online at giving.missouri.edu by clicking “Make a Gift,” selecting Other when choosing a University fund designation, and then entering “Orin Ethics Fund (CV945).” Alternatively, checks to the University of Missouri with “Orin Ethics Fund (CV945) on the Memo line can be mailed to Beth Krumm, Executive Director of Advancement, Robert J. Trulaske, Sr. College of Business, University of Missouri, 408-G Cornell Hall, Columbia, MO 65211.

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